Pre-Sunrise Pictures

Recently I stood outside in the early morning with the intent of trying to capture the African sunrise. If you have ever tried to capture a sunrise or sunset you know it is nearly impossible to catch the beauty. So many mornings I just stare towards the sun as it rises, enjoying it more and more, as it gains intensity in color and splendor. As I was prepared with my camera in hand, I started clicking left and right, most of the pictures were before the sun was even visible. Thinking to myself “ohh THIS has got to be the best”…one minute later “ohh no this one!” All the while the dense hues of orange, purple, yellows and reds were just getting stronger and the sun rising higher and higher. Watching the sun intently, just peeking out and now fully visible and blazing. Once the sun had actually appeared and the full “sunrise” picture was captured I realized how grandiose and epic it was compared to my “pre-sunrise” photos.

And then it hit me… this is so much like life at times. We see the immediate situation, weather good or bad as the climax and settle for what that offers. But so many times God has a much more epic climax in the making. Building on experiences and situations, all adding to the intensity of the final shebang! It saddens me to think that too often we settle for “pre-sunrise” pictures, when there is actually something better in the making. Not to say we shouldn’t enjoy the “pre-sunrise” snapshots of life, but we must continue striving towards our romancer, Jesus Christ; settling and enjoying are two different things.

My prayer over this blog is that together, we don’t just settle for the “pre-sunrise”, 5^th grade art work, but we wait patiently for the Father’s masterpiece that blazes with beauty and immaculate intensity.